Laundry-dampening box.



J. F. BRODERICK.

LAUNDRY DAMPENING BOX. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1o, 1912.

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JAIVIES F. BRODERICK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TROY LAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, LTD., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

LAUNDRY-DAMPENING BOX.

Application filed September l0, 1912.

To @ZZ 'whom it may concer/z Be it known that l, JAMES F. Bnonnnick, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county oit' Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Laundry-Dampening Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to laundry apparatus.` and more particularly to a receptacle in which dampened laundried articles are subjected to pressure to distribute the moisture evenly therethrough.

After articles have been washed and dried it is necessary to dampen them before theyY are ironed. convenient and expeditious way of dampening articles in quite extensive use at the present time is to provide containers in the form of boxes with open tops into which the dampened articles are placed, and a cover, or follower', then placed upon the articles and subjected to pressure so as to distribute the moisture evenly through the articles. ln order to retain the cover in the dep-ressed position necessary to retain the articles compressed, it has heretofore been proposed to interpose pawls and racks between the follower and the box, which cooperate to lock the cover in adjusted positions relatively to the box.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved means for locking the cover of the box, or container, for containing dampened articles, substantially at any position within the container to which the cover may be depressed in order to eiliciently cause the moisture to be evenly dis- 1tributed throughout the articles.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved box, or container, of the character described, which will be simple in construction, efficient in operation, and durable in use.

My invention will be more fully disclosed hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the same is illustrated and described as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which- Figure l is a vertical section on line l-l, Fig. 2, the cover and locking mechanism thereon being shown in elevation; and Fig. 2 a plan view.

The same reference characters are used to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3ft, 191A.

serial No. 719,582.

designate similar parts in the two figures of the drawing.

'Reference character A designates a container for dampening articles which have been previously washed and dried and then dampened preparatory to being ironed. This container is preferably in the form of a rectangular wooden box suitably braced so as to impart thereto the requisite strength. The container is mounted upon casters a so that it may be readily rolled upon the fioor into and out of cooperative relation with a press.

B designates a cover for the box of a size to lit within the walls thereof and to rest upon the dampened articles previously placed within the box.

o indicates a reinforcing strip extending diagonally across the cover B and secured thereto by any suitable means.

C and C2 designate links pivotally mounted at their lower ends by means of brackets c and o2 upon the strips b of the cover B. The links C and C2 extend in opposite directions and are pivoted by means of suitable brackets (Z and Z2 to friction brake shoes D and D2. The brake shoes are of a cross section to correspond to the inner surface of the portions of the box which they are adapted to engage. Then the box is rectangular-as shown in the drawingthe brake shoes are triangular in cross section, so as to engage with a wedging action within the opposite interior angles between the sides of the box. The brackets al and Z2 may be secured to the shoes by any suitable means, as, for instance, bolts d.

In order that the links C and C2 may occupy the desired positions, adjustable stops g and (/2 are provided upon the cover B adjacent the inner pivoted ends of the links. The stops may be so adjusted that the brake shoes will tightly engage within the interior opposite corners of the box, but so as to always occupy a slightly upwardly and outwardly inclined position relatively to the cover.

E and E2 designate bell crank levers fulcrumed upon brackets c and e2 secured upon the strip Z) of the cover B. The upper end of each of the bell crank levers is provided with a handle e which may be grasped to oscillate the lever.` The lower ends of the bell crank levers are provided with studs f and f2, respectively, which extend beneath the links C and C2, and engage such links when the bell crank levers are oscillated inwardly. Y

The manner of using my improved dampening box is as follows: The articles which have been dampened are first placed in thc box, after which the cover B is inserted in the open upper end of the box and allowed to rest upon the articles, as shown in Fig. l. The box is then wheeled under a press of any suitable construction by means of which a downward pressure is applied to the cover, so as to press the articles and cause the moisture to be evenly distributed through them. H, in Fig. 1, indicates the plunger of the press, the rest of the press not being disclosed, as it is unnecessary to do so in order that the construction and operation of my invention may be fully understood. As the cover B is moved downwardly under the action o-f the press, the brake shoes D and D2 move downwardly by gravity along the inner opposite angles of the box. `When the cover has been depressed sufficiently, the plunger of the press is elevated and the box rolled away so that another box may be placed in operative relation tothe press. Immediately upon the elevation of the plunger of the press the tendency of the articles to expand and lift the cover causes the brake shoes to be tightly wedged against the opposite interior corners of the box, owing to the toggle action of the links C and C2. The frictio-nal engage-ment, together wit-h the wedging action, of the brake shoes with the inner opposite angles between adjacent sides of the box securely retain the cover in t-he depressed position to which it has been moved by the press, so that the articles are held compressed and t-he moisture evenly distributed through them. The surfaces of the brake shoes and the portions of the sur faces of the box to which they engage are of such material as to insure the frictional action necessary to lock the cover. lVhen the box is made of wood, and the brake shoes also 0f wood, the moisture impart-ed to the box from the dampened articles placed therein will insure the frictional contact between the shoes and box necessary to firmly lock the cover in substantially any depressed position to which it may have been moved by the press. The position at which the cover will be locked is of course slightly above that to which it is moved by the press, inasmuch as the cover rises slightly to effect the clamping engagement of the brake shoes with the inner surfaces of the box. When it is desired to remove the articles from the box, the handles c of the bell crank levers E and E2 are grasped by the hands of an operator and pulled'toward each other.

This oscillates the bell crank levers so that the studs f and ,f2 thereon are moved upwardly and engage beneath the links C and C2, so that the latter are swung upwardly and the brake shoes thereby disengaged from the opposite cornerscf the box. rhe cover may then be entirely removed from the box by lifting upwardly on'theliandles e of the bell crank levers.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that l have invented an improved box for containing dampened clothes, or for similar objects, in wiich the coverV will be positively retained in any desired position within the box without the employment of pawls and rack bars, and consequently without the limitations as to vthe positions in which the cover may be locked incident to the use of pawls and rack bars.

lllhile l have described more or less in detail the specific form in which l have illustrated my invention as embodied, yet l do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as l contemplate changes in form, proportion of parts, and substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may require or as may be deemed expedient.

l claim:

1. The combination with a receptacle of the character described, of a cover fitting within said receptacle, a plurality of fricticnal brake shoes adapted to engage opposing portions of the inner surface of said receptacle, and upwardly inclined links pivotally connecting said shoes with said cover.

2. The combination with a receptacle of the character described, of a cover tting within said receptacle, frictional brake shoes conforming to and adapted to engageopposite portions of the inner surface of said receptacle, and links pivotally connecting said shoes with the upper surface of said cover, the said links being inclined upwardly from the cover to the shoes.

3. rThe combination with a receptacle of the character described, of a cover fitting within said receptacle, frictional brake shoes conforming to and adapted to engage opposite portions of the inner surface of said receptacle, links pivotally connecting said shoes with the upper surface of said cover, and means for disengaging said shoes from the receptacle to permit said cover to be lifted.

il. The combination with a receptacle of the character described, of a cover fitting within said receptacle, frictional brake shoes conforming to and adapted to engage opposite portions of the inner surface of said receptacle, upwardly inclined links pivotally connecting said shoes with the upper surface of said cover, and unlatching devices engaging said links to actuate them to disengage said shoes from the inner surface of the receptacle, thereby permitting the cover to be lifted.

5. The combination With a receptacle of the character described, of a cover fitting Within Said receptacle, frictional brake shoes conforming to and adapted to engage the inner surface of said receptacle, links pivotally connecting said shoes with the upper surface of said cover, unlatching devices engaging said links to actuate them to disengage said shoes from the inner surface of the receptacle, and handles on said devices for ope-rating them and for lifting said cover out of the receptacle.

6. The combination with a receptacle of the character described, of a cover tting Within said receptacle, frictional brake shoes conforming to and adapted to engage opposite portions of the inner surface of said receptacle, links pivotally connecting said shoes With the upper surface of said cover, bell crank levers pivotally mounted on the upper surface of said cover, studs on said levers adapted to engage said links to release said shoes from engagement With the inner surface of the receptacle, and handles on said bell crank levers to oscillate them to effeet the release of the brake shoes, and for facilitating the lifting of said cover out of the receptacle.

7. The combination with a receptacle of the character described comprising side Walls joining each other at acute angles, of a cover fitting within said receptacle, frictional devices carried by said cover conforming to and adapted to engage Within the angles between adjacent side Walls of said receptacle, and means operatively engaging said devices for disconnecting them from the inner surface of said receptacle and for lifting the cover out of the receptacle.

S. The combination with a receptacle of the character described, of a cover iitting within said receptacle, frictional brake shoes conforming to and adapted to engage opposite portions of the inner surface of said re ceptacle, links pivotally connecting said shoes with the upper surface of said cover, and adjustable stops on said cover for limiting the downward movement of said links.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

JAMES F. BRODERICK. lVitnesses C. M. LEARY, F. C. VHITMORE.

Copie of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1).'0." 

